A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday sentenced one of the two Ansaru leaders recently captured by the Department of State Services, DSS, Mahmud Muhammed Usman aka Abu Bara’a to 15 years for illegal mining.
Bara’a, who hails from Okene Local Governmeny Area of Kogi State, and Abubakar Abba aka Isah Adam or Mahmud Al-Nigeri, who hail from Daura, Katsina State, were arraigned by the DSS on 32 counts of terrorism and related offences.
Of the 32 counts, Bara’a, who is the first defendant, pleaded guilty to Count 10, which was on illegal mining. The presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite consequently convicted him of the crime and sentenced him to 15 years in prison.
The second alleged Ansaru Commander, Abubakar Abba who was arraigned alongside the convict however, denied the economic sabotage offence.
Usman and Abubakar Abba were put on trial on terrorism charges by the Department of the State Service DSS but Usman pleaded guilty to count 10 in the 32 count charges which bothered on economic crime.
While Abubakar Abba pleaded not guilty to the 32 count charges on terorism offences, Usman denied only 31 counts.
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At the arraignment proceedings, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar alleged in the charges that the two defendants committed the crime between 2015 and 2024.
Among others, they were accused of bombing Wawa Military Cantonment in Borgu local government area of Niger State, receiving training in weapon handling and fabrication of improvised explosive devices.
The security agency alleged that they belonged to foreign terror groups, engaged terrorism financing, kidnapping and receiving training on war tactic from a terrorising organization in Mali.
In another charges, DSS accused them of kidnapping a Custom officer and another Immigration Officer who was killed while in their custody.
The Secret Police claimed that the accused persons collected ransom running into millions of naira from families of their victims before the long arms of the DSS captured them.
Similarly, they were accused of engaging in unlawful mining of mineral resources without valid license from which they also made millions of naira.
One of the charges by DSS against the two defendants is that the huge sums made from kidnapping ransom and unlawful minerals mining were deployed to the procurement of huge arms and ammunitions including improvised explosive devices.
The DSS further alleged that the two men received training on terrorism and war tactics in Sudan and Mali and also facilitated same for their followers.
In another charge, they were accused of concealing information on terror attacks on various locations in Niger State.
Following their denial of the charges, Justice Emeka Nwite ordered them to remanded at the DSS facility in Abuja.
The Judge fixed October for commencement of their trial.
In another charge, an alleged gunrunner Hucaifa Haruna was slammed with 5-count charge by DSS before the same Judge.
The accused person however pleaded not guilty to all the charges and was also ordered to be remanded at the DSS facility pending his trial on October 17.
The two terror commanders were apprehended in a recent operation by a joint security team in a forest location.
Their capture has been applauded as a major breakthrough in the ongoing fight against insurgency and terrorism in the country.
Crediblenewsng.com
